Gallatin-Park Chapter
MCV has a community chapter in Gallatin and Park Counties for grassroots action and accountability work.
Gallatin-Park Chapter Contact:
MCV
P.O. Box 63
Billings MT 59103
406-254-1593
Chapter Leadership
David Tyler, Chairperson
David, Belgrade, is a civil engineer who owns and operates Thirteen Mile Lamb and Wool Company with his partner, Becky Weed. This is a certified organic sheep ranch and wool processing mill, with a predator-friendly ethic. David Tyler came to Montana in 1986 after working for years as a civil engineer on dams, power plants, and in the classroom. He`s worked in offshore exploration and in GPS navigating, topography, and farming. Dave taught at MSU for several years, started a precision agricultural electronics and software company that still operates in Belgrade and is a member of a national board that accredits academic engineering programs in the United States.
Linda Phillips, Vice Chairperson
Linda is a Research Scientist in the Ecology Department at Montana State University where she has worked since 2000. She is trained as a Spatial Analyst and works on many projects that focus on understanding patterns of biological diversity at broad spatial scales. Prior to beginning her current position, Linda received a BS in Physical Geography and an M.S. in Earth Sciences at MSU. Linda has four children and is actively involved in the Bozeman public schools and Montana Avalanche soccer club and regularly works on city, county and statewide political campaigns. Her husband Mike is a representative in the Montana Legislature representing House District 66.
Jeanne Eggert, Secretary
Jeanne has lived in Bozeman since 1967, and was the director of the ASMSU Day Care School at MSU for 21 years. She has been active in politics, League of Women Voters and was a Gallatin County Democratic Committee Woman in the early 70's. Retiring in 1998, she and her husband, Norm, have traveled extensively and lived in Kazakstan for almost a year. She served as Treasurer of the Bozeman Pass Zoning District's Steering Committee when coal bed methane gas exploration targeted the Bozeman Pass area, helping to draft and pass a regulation that assures any drilling would be done in a responsible manner. She is also active on the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team.
Katie Craig Scherfig, Representative to the MCV Board
Katie has worked as MCV’s Gallatin-Park Chapter Get-Out–the-Vote organizer since MCV’s first election in 2000. As a volunteer, she’s been involved in all phases of chapter activity, including legislative accountability, fundraising, events planning and endorsement interviews. Katie lives in Bozeman and works as the Manager of Wildwood Nursery in Big Sky. Previously she spent seven years with the Sierra Club working on grizzly bear, wolf, clean air and wildland issues. In winter she enjoys cross country and telemark skiing. In the summer Katie and her husband Peter spend their free time hiking, mountain biking and exploring Montana while camping in their 1971 VW bus. She is also an avid gardener. Katie began her love for the wilds of Montana when she moved here 33 years ago. She and her husband have two grown children who also have a passion for the Montana outdoors.
David Chambers, Alternate MCV Board Representative:
David is the president of the Center for Science in Public Participation, a non-profit corporation that provides technical assistance on mining and water quality to public interest groups and tribal governments in the US and Canada. Dave is a registered professional geophysicist with a Professional Engineering Degree in Physics from the Colorado School of Mines, and a Masters Degree in Geophysics from the University of California at Berkeley. He also has a Ph.D. in Environmental Planning from Berkeley. Dave and his wife, Sigrid, have resided in Bozeman for 15 years.
Peter Aengst, Director
Peter is the Deputy Director for the Northern Rockies office of the Wilderness Society, a national conservation group founded in 1935 with a headquarters office in Washington DC. From 1991-1996, Peter worked at the Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC), first as a Program Associate and later as their Mining Issues Coordinator, focused on the successful campaign to stop the New World gold mine proposed outside of Yellowstone National Park. He later served on GYC's board from 2000 to 2007. Peter has undergraduate degrees from Williams College and a M.S. in Natural Resource Policy from the University of Michigan. A passionate skier, climber, and biker, Peter has lived in downtown Bozeman for the past nine years with his wife, Kate, and more recent addition, one year old son Nolan.
Mark Berg, Director
Norm Bishop, Director
Norm served 36 years with the National Park Service. From 1980 to 1997, he was based in Yellowstone National Park, where he led wolf restoration interpretation. Norm holds a BS in Botany and completed graduate studies at Colorado State University in Forest Recreation and Wildlife Management. Norm served as a chapter officer in '06-'07, and as co-chair since 2008. He is a field representative for the International Wolf Center, and a board member of the Wolf Recovery Foundation and Wild Things Unlimited. He also serves on the advisory board of Living with Wolves. He enjoys hiking and nordic skiing with his wife, Dorothy.
Sharon Brodie, Director
Sharon, Bozeman, is originally from Fairview, Montana. She moved to Gallatin County in the eighties and graduated from Montana State University, fell in love with the place and never made it back home. She has been fundraising for non-profits for many years and is currently the Development Coordinator for Western Sustainability Exchange. Sharon is a member of Women of the Dirt, the League of Women Voters and a proud Water Babe. She sits on the board of the Greater Gallatin Watershed Council, Sonoran Institute's Gallatin Area Planning Grants Advisory Board and is a volunteer for local political campaigns. She enjoys fishing, hunting, riding and skiing and often goes on very, very long walks but never on hikes.
Linda Clark, Director
Linda, a Chapter officer since 2006, has served on the Chapter's candidate endorsement teams, and in conservation voter turnout efforts. A former college English teacher, Linda has an extensive background in experiential and cross-disciplinary education and emergent literacy/early learning. She currently does contract and volunteer work for several non-profits and public institutions.
James Sweaney, Director
James worked as a smokejumper the US Forest Service and the National Park Service before becoming a Park Ranger. Jim served on the Council of the Montana Wilderness Association. He organized the Yellowstone Park Preservation Council; a group of park employees dedicated to protecting Yellowstone Park from the National Park Service. He is now retired in Gardiner and lives nineteen feet from Yellowstone National Park.
